Woman to Woman (42 page)

“I’m sorry.”

Vivienne was furious. That bastard she said. Aisling started to cry silently with the relief of finally telling someone from Richardson, Reid and Finucane what Leo had been like.

But her relief quickly turned to terror when Vivienne pointed out that she’d have to tell Edward Richardson what had happened.

“You cant said Aisling frantically.

“You can’t!”

“I have to tell him Vivienne insisted.

“It’s his responsibility to make sure that none of his staff have to experience harassment. Anyway,” she added, ‘this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

On the other end of the phone Aisling gasped. She was stunned. She wasn’t the first woman Leo had harassed? The bastard.

“When Elizabeth was on holiday, earlier this year, we had a temp in because none of us could cover for Elizabeth at the time said Vivienne.

The temp only lasted two days. When she left she claimed Leo had been scaring her by making all sorts of weird comments. I honestly thought she wasn’t serious, but I can see now what must have happened. Aisling.” Vivienne continued earnestly, ‘you should have said something to me about him.

They’re very serious accusations.”

The word ‘accusations’ hit Aisling like a slap in the face.

Accusations! She hadn’t needed to spend more than a week in a solicitors’ practice to see that accusations were not statements to be tossed around lightly.

Aisling didn’t want to make accusations, she didn’t want Leo to tear her apart in public for daring to say that he’d tried to touch her and harass her. He was a lawyer, for God’s sake!

He’d make mincemeat out of her. She could imagine him telling everyone

how she’d thrown herself at him, a lonely ex-wife with nobody to cling on to at night and a desire for vengeance on mankind in general. Oh God, she could see it all now.

When Vivienne rang back two hours later to say she’d spoken to Edward and he wanted her to come and talk to him on Monday morning, Aisling panicked. It didn’t matter about the other woman Leo had harassed. She’d never told her story.

The first person to accuse Leo Murphy of sexual harassment would be Aisling Moran. She wasn’t even three months back at work and look what had happened. What a great way to kick-start her career.

Two Valiums meant she spent Saturday in a haze, staring blankly at the TV and not answering the phone. She knew Jo had promised to ring to see how she was, but Aisling really didn’t want to talk to anyone.

After all her plans to say hello to Michael and show off her new-found figure, Friday had obliterated her selfconfidence.

There was no way she wanted to face him now. She stayed in her room when Michael picked up the boys and stared out the window at his car as he reversed onto the road.

She managed to burn the grilled cod and roasted vegetable dish she’d made from a low-calorie recipe in a magazine. And she blindly put her red silk blouse into the machine with the boys’ soccer shorts and socks, turning the entire wash bright pink.

She downed most of a bottle of wine on Saturday night watching Pat Kenny, but she still hadn’t been able to sleep.

Instead she lay in bed, wide awake, turning Friday’s awful scene over and over in her brain and wondering whether it really was her fault after all.

It was as if there were two voices in her head one telling her she’d messed everything up, again. The other telling her that making a wax dummy out of Leo Murphy and sticking a few pins in him would be the perfect revenge. What am I going to do? She thought at half three as she sat up in bed with the light on and a barely read magazine propped

up in front of her. The only good thing was that the Finucanes were away for the weekend, so Pat and therefore Fiona obviously had no idea what had happened.

Oh God, she moaned over and over again, what sort of can of worms have I opened up? Why did I ever lose my temper with Leo? Why didn’t I calmly and quietly tell Vivienne what was going on and let her deal with it? Why was I such a wimp? The whole bloody thing was a nightmare.

“I wouldn’t have come in if you hadn’t rung me, Vivienne,” she said, clutching her coffee cup tightly. It was the one with the poppies, her favourite.

“I never wanted to see this place ever again because of him.”

The other woman pulled up a chair beside Aisling’s, sat down and clasped one of Aisling’s hands in her own.

“I know it took a lot of guts to come in here today, especially after all the things you told me. You’ve no idea how guilty I feel about never saying anything to you about Leo before …” Vivienne looked at Aisling apologetically.

“If I’d known he would try the same trick with you, of course I’d have said something. But I honestly thought there was something going on with Leo and the temp, and that was why she’d left so abruptly.” Vivienne sighed deeply.

“She was very pretty, sexy and very sure of herself. That’s why I didn’t really believe her. I know that sounds awful as if you bring harassment upon yourself if you’re sexy or good-looking. But I never thought he’d try it again, on someone like you,” she added earnestly.

Aisling said nothing for a moment. There were so many bobbles on her skirt she realised absently. Maybe she could try shaving them off with a disposable razor. Vivienne was still looking at her intently.

“Poor girl,” Aisling said finally. At least she had the sense to get away from him. I’ve been thinking about it all weekend, you know. I was the perfect victim I had zero confidence and was so scared I’d make a mistake in the job that I must have seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity to pick on,” she said quietly.

Then like him gravitate towards twenty-one-year-old temps and terrified women returning to work. They know we haven’t got either the experience or the nerve to tell them where to stick it.”

The grandfather clock in the hall outside struck nine.

Aisling jumped, spilling coffee onto the pale carpet.

“Oh sorry she said. “I’m very jumpy today.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Vivienne urged, putting an arm around Aisling’s shoulder.

“You’ve every reason to be nervy.”

Nervy was not the word. Terrified, apprehensive and anxious might just cover the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Vivienne’s phone rang and she quickly picked it up.

“Yes, Edward. She’s here. I’ll send her in. I’ll hold all calls.”

Aisling blanched. Hold all calls. How long was Edward planning to talk to her for? God, she wished she had another Valium with her. She’d gone through the stash Fiona had given her. She knew she’d have to see her own doctor for more. She walked along the thick grey carpet on the way to Edward’s office and prayed silently.

She’d never been in his office before, only peered in the door on Caroline’s whistle-stop tour of the premises.

“Go on in said Vivienne encouragingly, holding the door open.

“Hello, Aisling.” said Edward. He rose from behind his highly polished antique desk and held out his hand. Dressed in a dark pinstriped suit with his gold-rimmed glasses on, he looked very formal and more than a little forbidding.

During her months with the company, he always smiled and asked her how she was whenever they bumped into each other, his manner more like that of an old friend than an employer.

Today, however, the old friend-of-the-family persona was gone, to be replaced by a steely-eyed look. Edward meant business.

“Sit down, Aisling.” he said.

Aisling sat with her hands tightly clasped, her jaw locked with tension. She wished she were anywhere else in the whole world but

here. “I’m very sorry to hear that there’s a problem between you and Leo,” Edward began.

“Naturally, I’d hate to think that any member of the staff felt they had been sexually harassed while working here and, if that is the case, this company will do their utmost to make sure that the full letter of the law is adhered to.”

Aisling listened intently. Edward seemed to be saying that he’d do anything to help her if Leo had harassed her. But there was a big question mark over the whole matter. She felt the faint stirrings of anger inside her.

“You understand that we have to listen to Mr. Murphy’s side of the story,” he said.

“Of course,” said Aisling automatically.

Tell me everything.” Edward took an elegant fountain pen off the desk and opened up a legal pad.

Have you got all day? thought Aisling grimly.

When she’d finished, Edward rang Vivienne and asked her to bring in some coffee and biscuits.

“You need it, my dear,” he advised Aisling, looking at her pale face. She felt totally drained. Talking about Leo’s advances was like experiencing it all over again. She’d told Edward that she didn’t want any trouble and that she’d considered not coming back to the office.

“But I need the job,” she said candidly.

Vivienne was either psychic or listening at the door, because she arrived with a tray of coffee and a plateful of biscuits within sixty seconds. Grateful to have the spotlight off herself at last, Aisling took a cup and stirred in sugar and milk. She almost didn’t hear Edward asking Vivienne to summon Leo Murphy to the boss’s office.

“He’s coming here now?” she asked in horror.

“Calm down, Aisling,” Edward said gently.

“Nothing’s going to happen. I’m here. This is a very serious matter and I’ll be honest with you, it won’t go away until we can clear the air.”

He leaned across the desk and looked at her earnestly.

“I

know that you don’t want to create any problems, Aisling, but until

this is resolved, it would be awkward for both you and Leo With my experience of these matters, a meeting between both parties, where the problem is discussed, is the best option. I want you to understand that you are fully entitled to I take legal action if you so wish. This meeting doesn’t preclude that.”

Even as Edward said he understood that she didn’t want any sort of legal battle with Leo, a little voice in Aisling’s head was repeating the same words over and over again.

“He’s done it before, it wasn’t your fault.” She couldn’t make the voice go away, it kept nagging her. Did she want a quiet life or justice?

Did she want to let him get away with it because she was too scared to fight him?

There was a sharp knock on the door. Aisling couldn’t help turning to look at it.

“Come in,” Edward said loudly.

Vivienne walked in, followed by Leo, all smiles, in one of his black suits with the usual dusting of dandruff on his shoulders. His face fell when he saw Aisling. Instead of sitting on the chair beside her, he chose one to the far right of Edward’s desk. She looked away. She didn’t want to see his face.

“Leo, delighted you could come,” Edward said smoothly.

“We’ve a problem I want to discuss. Vivienne, could you stay and take notes.”

“What’s this about?” began Leo, his voice a little loud.

Edward didn’t beat around the bush.

“Mrs. Moran has come to me with a complaint, Leo. She says that last Friday, a few hours after the partners’ lunch, you sexually harassed her, both physically and verbally.”

Aisling noticed that Edward didn’t suffer from Leo’s longwindedness.

He was precise and to the point.

“She also says that you have been making suggestive comments to her since she started working here. I wanted this meeting to decide whether this has to go any further, Leo, to hear your side of the story.”

The other man bridled. This is ridiculous!” he snapped.

“Utterly ridiculous! These accusations are totally unfounded.”

Aisling moved slightly further away from him on her chair.

She kept her eyes firmly trained on Edward’s face, but she could hear Leo’s breath quickening, the way it did when he was about to embark on a fully-fledged tantrum. She hoped Edward noticed his junior partner’s mood. This was not the way to win clients and influence people.

“Leo, I think I should point out to you that Mrs. Moran did not want to come in to work after last week’s incident,” Edward said.

“She has told me that she doesn’t want to pursue this matter further. So far he added pointedly.

“She merely wants the matter cleared up. In fact, had it not been for Ms Hogan, who was looking for Mrs. Moran at the time of the incident, I doubt that Mrs. Moran would have ever sought this meeting. What I’m saying, Leo, is that I want this sorted out with as little trouble as possible.”

Thank you, Edward, said Aisling silently. He believes me.

Vivienne must have told him about the temp. She allowed herself a quick sideways glance at Leo. He was now the colour of chalk. Behind him, Vivienne glanced quickly at Aisling and gave her the faintest flicker of a grin.

It was only then that Aisling realised what Edward was doing. He was cleverly giving Leo the impression that Vivienne had witnessed everything.

Leo didn’t know whether she had or not, but he dar en risk denying everything, therefore forcing Aisling to take him to court, in case he was wrong. Leo had to own up, didn’t he?

She felt a flicker of triumph.

“I don’t know what to say,” spluttered Leo.

“I mean, this is a ludicrous situation.”

“In that way?” inquired Edward silkily. Aisling could see how he’d built up such a successful practice. Charming and urbane, Edward Richardson was, nevertheless, every inch a tough lawyer when the occasion demanded it. She wondered if she could ask him to handle her inevitable divorce?

“Well, this whole situation is ludicrous,” protested Leo. He no longer sounded so cocky.

“Everything’s been blown out of all proportion.”

Edward, Aisling and Vivienne all leaned a fraction forward in their chairs. Had Leo just thrown all professional caution to the winds or was he completely rattled?

“What exactly has been blown out of all proportion?” asked Edward.

“If nothing happened, how can anything have been blown out of all proportion?”

“I have to admit, I got carried away and kissed Mrs. Moran …” stammered Leo, visibly shaken.

“Kissed her?” asked the other man sternly.

“Kissing implies that Mrs. Moran was willing, Mr. Murphy, and she says she wasn’t.”